SAO Hero
by PhantomBlazeBrony
Summary: Sword Art Online, a project game for the next level of virtual reality gaming. Schools across the country have been chosen to participate in this project. They will be monitored daily, and their job, to ensure the game's safety level. As an added bonus, if they manage to beat the game, they will all be rewarded with 100,000. What dark secrets does this game hold for the students?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Decided to go back to my original fanfic roots and do a fanfic on SAO. Now granted, I don't like SAO much anymore. I like the novels, but the anime hasn't given the novels its justice. Anyway, this is an older fanfic that I wrote 2 years ago and decided to take it down once I "retired" from fanfic writing. However, I'll slowly be able to upload stories that just isn't MLP related. For those who are new, yes, I am a brony. Anyway, onto the story!

* * *

"I will need everyone to report to the gym for a special assembly."

In a class, a group of students had to stop there band class just to listen, "Wait, what is this for? Mr. Brown, do you know anything about this?"

A young man, probably the band director, shook his head in response, "No, I was never told a meeting would occur this period. Come on, let's go."

They exited through a back entrance that led to the school's gym, "Everyone sits together with their class, got that Mr. Brown?" A voice said over the radio as they sat in silence. Students around them were chatting away, as they waited for what the assembly about. Most were trying figure out what was going on.

It was then everyone heard a loud audio break, and everyone turned towards the center of the gym to see their principal, Ms. Sain, standing beside some weird equipment, "Everyone settle down, I know you must be wondering why I called all of you to the gym. Well, I think you can see the equipment that lay beside me as I speak. This man beside me, will explain it all."

She handed the microphone to the man behind her, "Good morning students. You see, I think you've seen all over the news and social media that this equipment here, is being used for the next level of virtual reality gaming," Everyone got slightly louder at the mentioning of what the equipment was, "Well, this school was chosen, along with many other schools, to take part in our project. We will choose a minimum of 2 students to participate. Now, shall we get along with this?"

What he expected was to see everyone jump up to be chosen, but... no one stood up, except one person. That person: Erik Walter, "I'd like to participate. I think this will be pretty cool to do."

"Ah, then come on down son. Let us get you prepared. Now, we just need one person. If no one else will volunteer, we'll need to hand pick our 2nd participate."

Once he saw that no other hands went up, he sighed, "Alright, let us pick our 2nd participant," He looked around, and stopped on somebody, a girl that was sitting behind Erik, "How about you young lady? Maybe you would like to participate?"

She just put her hands up in retort, "No, I'm fine with not participating."

"Come on Raven. It'll be cool," After thinking it over, she hesitantly agreed to the offer.

"Thank you, now, if you step over there by the equipment; we'll put this little wrist device on you two."

"What is it supposed to do?" The man didn't answer them, he just ushered them over by the equipment.

"I want you two to lay here. I'll put the devices on as your are in game so you won't feel the pain."

"What pain?"

The man just chuckled as he gave the two students two helmet devices, "I need the both of you to put these on, and once they're synced up with your body, you will then say the activation code: Link Start!"

They did as he said, and in unison they said, "Link Start!"

Please enter the name you would like to use: Xero

Are you sure you want this name  
-Yes- No

Welcome to Sword Art Online!

A bunch of blue pixels surround them as they spawned in. They looked around and gazed at how real the game looks. Erik, or now known as Xero, walked around the spawn area before he walked into somebody else, "Excuse me, huh? Raven? Is that you?" A girl that had the same appearance his own classmate.

"Yeah, uh, who are you?" Xero remembered he didn't use his real name.

"Raven, it's me, Erik. I didn't use my real name like you," She jumped and held her hand to her mouth.

"I'm so very sorry. I didn't know, I was wondering why you looked so much like... 'Erik'."

Xero chuckled at her comment, "Well, in here, my name is Xero. And I guess your name is still Raven."

She lightly punched Xero's arm in retort, "Oh shut up. I didn't think I had to. I've never played something like this before. So I used my real name."

Meanwhile, in the gym, a large screen showed the perspectives of the two participants, "On this screen, you will see the perspective of our two participants. We will monitor them, those who will want to watch when they dive, are free to watch. You may also send a message to them once we set it up. Which will be in about a week."

Back in the game, the duo are walking through the streets in the Town of Beginnings searching the shops and taking up quests, "Well, we should probably learn the basics. We can't jump into combat until we learn how the battle system works," Raven nodded as she followed Xero, "This first quest we accepted, so it should be simple. Here, I'll invite you to my party."

Xero opened a menu, and tapped on Raven's name, "Alright, I sent the party invite," A screen popped up in front of Raven, and she tapped the accept button, "Alright, um, do you know how to fight?"

"Well, it seems we can hit as freely as we like, but there seems to be a few skills that we can activate to do massive damage," He stood in front of a boar and unsheathed his sword from his back, "Alright, so if I control my center of gravity, and unleash all my force in one point..."

He dashed forward as his sword glowed a bright blue aura. Once his sword came in contact with the boar, it exploded into a million blue pixels, "Huh, I guess that's how it works. Why don't you try it out. Here I'll agro it for you."

"Wait!"

Xero stopped before he could agro the mob, "What's up?" She held the hilt of her sword, but she didn't draw it, "What's wrong? Do you need help getting in stance?" She nodded and Xero walked up to her, "Well, there's no real stance. You just have to center the gravity. So it's more a mental thing rather than it being a physical thing. To be honest," He took her sword, and put in her hand, "I think you need to take a kendo like stance."

He then proceeded to fix her stance, "Once you have your stance, move the sword kind of slanted next to your face. Once you do so, concentrate on the amount of gravity around you. Then once you feel the moment, unleash it," He ran up to the boar and kicked it towards Raven, "Alright, here's your chance!"

The mob closed in fast, but remembering back to what Xero had told her, she did as she was told. She soon felt the power of her sword increase, and in almost a split second, she charged through the mob with ease. The mob exploded into crystals, just as the last one did, "Wow... I actually did it!"

Xero smiled and nodded, "Well, let's get this quest over and done with," Raven nodded, and they were off to finish off the quest they had accepted.

-1 hour later-

They had completed their quest, along with a little extra grinding. By the end, they were both level 5, "Whew, I think it's time to head out. Let's go ahead and log out of here," Raven nodded in agreement and they both opened their menu, but to their surprise. The log out button was no longer there, "Wait a minute, the log out button was here when we entered. What happened to it?"

"Do you think it's a bug in the system?"

Xero shrugged his shoulder, "I don't know, but if it was, they should've fixed it by now, or released a message about it. People are probably going out of control about this, aren't they?"

Xero laughed at thinking about that, but Raven had different feelings about this, "No, what if this isn't a bug? What if the game was made to not allow us to leave?"

Xero paused at this, he looked around, "I don't know, but this isn't going to be funny if you're right," Just as he said that, they were both beginning to get teleported out of where they were.

"Xero! What's happening?!" Just as Raven asked that, they were teleported to the clock tower in the Town of Beginnings, "It was a force teleport. I'm guessing this is the opening ceremony. My question is why they would... wait a minute," Xero stopped as he pointed towards a small little warning flashing in sky.

The sky then started to become filled with all these icons. After the entire sky was full, they started oozing out blood, "What in the world?" The blood started to form into that of a hooded NPC. Everyone stared in awe of the formation.

Xero stepped back, knowing the consequences left what's to happen, "Oh no, it's really happening," Raven looked at him curiously, but was more curious about the hooded figure. It was then the hooded figure started to speak.

"Greetings players, I know most of you are wondering as why there is a lack of the log out button in the menu. Well, we did that on purpose, but it won't necessarily be permanent. It was only for this one time. I will explain why I have done this."

Xero was speechless, but he wasn't afraid, just shocked, "First of all, allow me to introduce myself. I am the creator of the devices you are currently using: Akihiko Kayaba. And now, all of you, are part of my glorious project. As of me, you will all be required to beat the game. If not, you will all perish."

Confused, all the players began to converse with one another, "Now, now, I will explain everything. As you remember, as you dove into the game, the advisor that is currently overlooking you bodies strapped on a wrist device. That device has a timer on it, and you must follow that timer. You must dive into SAO everyday, if not, the device will shock you until you dive. The longer you take, the worse the shock will get"

"You may never take this device off. If you do, you will be shocked severely. Also, no one is allowed to remove the Nerve Gear off of your head. If they do, the Nerve Gear will send high frequency microwaves to your brain and fry it, indubitably killing you. Lastly, if you are to die in this game, the Nerve Gear will take the same action, and fry your brain. Either way, you will... die."

Everyone froze in place as they heard what he had said. Basically, if they die in the game, they'll die in real life... Xero thought right... this was just as he thought would happen, "Xero..."

Someone yelled at the top of there lungs, "Why the hell would you do something like this?!"

"Ah, I knew someone would ask that. You see, I simply wanted to create a world of my own desire. This is all I have to say. As of now, no one has died yet. Which means that there is a total of over 5,000 students playing this game. There is only one thing just have left to say... may god be with you."

The hooded figure disappeared from sight, and after a few seconds of silence, the crowd of players began to panic. Some worried about loved ones, others worried about dying. As for Xero, he was nowhere to be found. Raven looked around for Xero, and she saw him walking through the crowd. He held his head down, and when he approached the exit of the area, he started sprinting away.

Raven gave chase to him, and found him near the exit of the town, "Eri-, I mean Xero! What are you doing?"

"If what he said was true, then our best bet would be to stock up on items and level up as fast as we can. If we're to beat this game, everyone will need to be strong. As for you Raven, you should stay in the Town of Beginnings. I don't think this is your fight..."

Raven sighed, and walked up to him, "Listen, I want to help. So, we need to stick together, maybe we can make a difference."

Xero turned away from Raven and started to walk, "Well, I don't really role with people on games like this. I think you can find a group of people you can trust. I'll stay solo for the time being... if I ever need help, I'll be sure to message you. For now, I'm going to head out. I'll see you around.

"Erik!" Before he could even move, Raven called his name again, "Um, I'd much prefer your irl appearance. But I could get used to this as well."

Xero chuckled at her comment, "The name's Xero, but yeah, same to you. You look way better than your avatar," Xero started to run, and he yelled back, "I'll see you in the next floor!"

* * *

A/N: Hehe, yeah, I kind of used that last bit as part of the 1st ep. I don't remember how I wrote this when I did two years ago. I really only revised parts of it and checked for grammar mistakes. However, I am not the best proofreader and probably still have minor grammar or spelling errors. Anyway, I will probably upload about 5 or 6 more chapters over the course of today before the uploads stop for a bit. Don't expect me to upload a lot since I am in college and that always comes first! Anyway, I hope all of you enjoy this series and don't worry, Kirito and Asuna along with the entire gang will still be here. I'm actually thinking of making Kirito a possible antagonist, but whatever. I'll see what I'll do with the series as it goes a long. Alright, see all of you in the the future chapters!


	2. Chapter 2

A month has passed since this debacle started, and surprisingly, only 500 students have perished since the project started. However, the boss room has yet to be found. Xero and Raven haven't seen each other in game since the beginning. The only time they see each other is when they would log out. Even then, they wouldn't really speak to each other.

Everyone began to wonder if they would ever work together in this game. Today, they may get the chance to do so. A meeting is being held to discuss the location of the boss room. Perhaps these two will meet again.

"Alright everyone, this meeting shall begin. First off, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Diabel and I will be leading the raid against the boss."

The players began bursting out in laughter, "Dude, you can't lead the raid if we haven't found the boss room!"

"Au contraire my friends, for you see, my party found the boss room late last night," Everyone froze in shock, they had finally found the boss room that everyone had been searching for, "So, we'll go over our strategy to defeat this boss, but first, we need to form parties. The party can be either big or small, but you need at least 3 people in your party!"

Xero jumped in shock knowing he hasn't really made any friends in this game. But who also sitting by themselves were two other players. One had a hood that covered their face, but he knew who it was. The other had breastplate that had an arm guard cover her left arm lightly, this was Raven

He looked at both of them and decided to walk to Raven, "Yo Raven, do you need to be in a party?" She nodded and nearly instantly, she received a party invite. She accepted it, and his name appeared on the corner of her screen, "Great, now let's invite her. We need three and she's not in a party."

"Wait, how did you know she's a girl? Are you two friends?"

Xero shook his head in disagreement, "Not really, I just helped her train a week ago. We haven't really talked much since. Come on, let's go invite her."

Xero began to walk to her, but she soon started to get surrounded by a party, "Hey, would you like to join our party? We could use another player."

She responded coldly, "I think you have enough players in your party."

Xero sighed at her response, and he continued walking to her, "Whoa, you don't need to get an attitude over it."

Xero stepped in between them, "I'm sorry about my friend. She's not really a 'people' person. I apologize for her rudeness," The guy just sighed, " Well, let's just take this boss out. Sorry for the misunderstanding."

The group walked off and Xero felt the girl punch him, "I could've handled that myself Xero..."

"No, you were about to escalate the situation further. Seriously Asuna, how many times did I have to bail you out of rash situations?"

It didn't show due to her hood, but she blushed at his comment, "Also, why do you always have your hood up?"

He pulled her hood down and she tried to put it back on, "Xero!"

-Meanwhile in the gym-

Everyone watched on as they went over the plan. Xero and Raven's bandmates watched on, some in jealousy, "Man, that girl is pretty hot. Whew, Erik is pretty lucky."

-Back in the game-

After they had dismissed a plan in the meeting, both Raven and Asuna began to walk off, "Where are you two going? Shouldn't we go over our plan of attack. To be honest, we don't really have a solid plan of attack."

In unison, both girl say, "We'll discuss it tomorrow."

And they were off, but Xero called out to them, "Uh, I don't really have a place to stay!" The both of them stopped. Silence around them, and then they burst out in laughter. Xero sighed and blushed lightly. The students watching them in their gym were also laughing as well.

Raven turned around towards Xero and walked towards him, "Come on Erik, you can sleep with me in my hotel."

"Erik?" Asuna said confusingly.

"Oh right, we're in the same school. We're the only ones in our school that's doing this currently."

"Oh, I see..., but you don't really have to sleep with her. Our shack is still open to both of us."

Raven jumped, and grabbed Xero by his collar, "What do you mean shack?!"

"I told you, I trained her in this game for a week. We had to sleep somewhere, so we chose to sleep in a shack that was cheap."

She then put Xero in a headlock, "You still can't sleep with a girl in the same place!"

"What are you talking about?! You were about to do the same thing!"

She started to tighten her grip on Xero until he passed out, "Weird, I didn't know you could pass out from something like that in SAO..."

"Come on Asuna, I'll go with you two," Asuna nodded as she saw Raven dragging Xero's limp body.

-In the gym-

"Wow, who knew Raven had a crush on Erik?" A lot began to converse with one another. Each talking about Raven's possible crush on Erik, "Looks it's going to be the talk of the school."

They continued watching the screen and one of their band mates looked was getting jealous, "This is stupid... I wish I could join in..."

* * *

-In game-

Once they arrived at the shack, Xero stretched and proceeded to walk out the door, "Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm getting dinner for the three of us. You two should get to know each other," Xero walked out as he left the two girls sitting alone in the shack. They both sat there in an awkward silence.

For 5 whole minutes, they both sat in silence until Asuna spoke up, "Do you like him?"

Raven jumped, the blood rushing to her cheeks faster than a cheetah runs, "W-What are you asking out of the blue?!"

"Well, you seemed really angry when he told you about us sleeping together in this shack. So I thought that you might harbor some feelings for him. Am I wrong?"

Raven didn't answer her, but she was right. Although she's a sophomore and he's a senior, she still has a crush on him. She's had a crush on him for at least a year now. But since she's his first crush, she doesn't really know how to express her feelings. So she usually doesn't violently, "I..."

"I'm back!"

Xero burst through the door, looking somewhat worn out, "Wow, are you tired. You go minotaur hunting again?" Xero only chuckled at Asuna's sarcastic question.

"Minotaur hunting? I didn't know there were minotaurs on this floor."

"Oh, they only spawn at this hour every Wednesday. They're surprisingly easy to kill, but so many spawn where I go hunting for them. Well, I'll go cook them up for us. They're the closest thing to a nice steak."

There was a stone kitchen set in the corner of the room, and Xero started going to work on the meat, "I didn't know you could cook."

"No, cooking in this game is easier than in real life. To be honest, my cooking sucks in real life compared to my cooking here. Oh, by the way, did you know that if you have a twitch account, they'll stream your pov on your profile?"

"No, I didn't know that. Do you have one Xero?"

Xero nodded happily at the two girls as he brought the first plate of "steak" to the table, "Yup, I've gained a lot of followers and I just recently added a sub and donation button. You two should create one after this. Besides, the school day is almost over. I'll probably stay behind for some late night grinding."

Xero finished off the last two plates, and set them on the table, "Ah yes, itadakimasu!"

Raven looked at him confusingly, "What?"

"Itadakimasu: It's a way of saying 'thanks for the food' or ' Bon appétit' in Japanese. It's a tradition in Japanese culture, and considered extremely rude to not say it," Asuna explained.

"Precisely, thanks for explaining Asuna. Anyway, let's dig in!"

* * *

-15 minutes later-

The group had finished off the 'steak' that Xero cooked up, and they were basically on the floor breathing heavily, "Xero, that was the best meal I've had forever in SAO."

"Like I said, I'm a master chef here in SAO. Thanks by the way," Xero stood up and took a glance at the time ,"Well, it's 2:25 for us Raven. We should log off, and head off to marching band practice."

"You're both in marching band?"

Xero nodded as he opened his menu, "Yeah, we're both on the drumline. Though, she can't really march because of her leg, so she's been sitting out the past few weeks," Raven groaned in frustration, "It's so retarded. I wish I could march with you guys. Anyway, we should head to practice. We'll see you later Asuna."

Raven walked over to the bed, and laid down on it. Her menu opened and she logged out the game. Xero looked towards Asuna and smiled, "I guess I'll see you later as well. Bye Asuna!" Xero soon logged out as well.

* * *

-In the gym-

Once Erik was back in reality, he saw Raven standing up to his bed, "Raven, there's a thing called personal space," Raven jumped back with a blush slowly appearing on her face, "Alright, let's head to practice Raven." With a nod, they were both off to practice. They knew that the big day was tomorrow. Tomorrow, they come face to face with the boss. This will bring 1 step closer to beating the game!


	3. Chapter 3

_Warning: Minor Offensive language to be said towards the end of the chapter. Just a small heads up!_

* * *

The next day, the duo was ready to dive into SAO. The gym was then filled again with the school wanting to see how they would do against the first boss. Over the recent month, people have seen the skill Xero and Raven has shown, mostly Xero. He's been able to get out of the worst situations with only a small pinch of health. He's dodged death so much that people called him the "Immortal Hero" which is much to his distaste.

Once they prepared for the boss raid, everyone was off to the boss room. Xero, Raven and Asuna went over their gameplan, "Alright, so we're on the front. We will do the majority of the damage towards the boss behind the tanks, and we must remember to switch out in case we need to regain stamina or hp."

"Wait, what's a 'switch'?" Asuna and Raven ask in unison.

"Well, it's when teammates switch in out with each other. Mostly done if the one doing the fighting is getting tired. I'll be in front, would one of you like to take the front with me?"

Raven stepped up, "I'll take that position. By the way, are you streaming right now Xero?" Xero nodded and waved his hand in front of his face, "Yeah, the stream automatically starts when I spawn in. How about you two, are you girls streaming?"

"Yeah, I set it up just before we got here. Right now, I have just about 1250 viewers so far. How about you Asuna? Are you streaming?"

Asuna nodded and put her thumb up, "Yeah, it's pretty cool, I think it's been fine so far, but I have to stop streaming from time to time because of the amount people in our household."

"Ah, well, let's get this show on the road!"

-In front of the boss room-

Diabel stuck his sword into the ground and began his speech, "Alright everyone, this is the moment we've all been waiting for! This is our chance to show everyone in the Town of Beginnings that this game can be beaten! Here we go, remember the plan, and this shall go without casualty!" He pumped his fist in the air, as well as everyone else.

He turned towards the door to open it, and everyone rushed inside. Everyone stopped once they approached the middle of the boss room. Everyone was on high alert for the boss, and wasn't letting their guard down. After about 5 seconds, the room grew bright, and on the other side of the room, was a large wombat like creature wielding an axe and a shield. It leaped from it's throne and in front of the players.

Diabel gave the order, "Charge!" Everyone charged towards the large beast, and began attacking it, "Squads B and C, flank from behind and catch it off guard. Squad A, attack while it's distracted from B and C!" Diabel ordered.

"We're on it!" Xero responded, "Asuna, Raven, let's go!" They both nodded as they started attacking the boss. Diabel turned behind him to order the rest of the groups.

"Xero, I'm getting pretty worn out!" Xero turned towards Raven and saw that she was indeed growing tired.

"Switch with Asuna! I'll keep you covered! Recover your stamina and health!"

Raven nodded as she turned to Asuna, "Asuna, switch!" Asuna switched positions with Raven, and with astounding speed, attacked the boss with god-like speed, _"Whoa, she's really fast. How hard did she train with Erik?"_

As Raven was daydreaming, one of the boss's minions was about to attack her, "Raven!" Xero ran over and killed the minion in one blow, "Keep your mind in the game! I don't want you dying on me!" Raven blushed as Xero said that. She nodded to his request and stood up with vigilance.

Everyone continued pounding the boss with fierce attacks and strategic placements. Eventually, they had managed to bring the boss down to the red on his last bar of health, "Great! I shall land the final blow!" Diabel ran ahead of everyone to attack the boss with one final hit, _"Wait, I thought everyone was supposed to attack at the same time at this point."_ As Xero was thinking this, he saw the boss throw his weapons away.

As he did so, he pulled out another weapon. Xero's eyes widened and remembered something, "Wait! Don't attack, he just changed his weapon to a odachi!" Without listening to Xero's warning, Diabel charged in. As Diabel was about to deliver the final strike, the boss leaped to the ceiling and charged downward toward Diabel. Without the reaction time to dodge, Diabel was hit hard by the boss not once, but twice. Diabel flew far back and Xero caught him, "Diabel!" The monster landed in front of the group of players, and slashed in front of it.

"I tried to warn you that he would gain a boost of power and speed while he's low on health. The odachi would just add more power to this ability. Here take this, you need to heal up."

Xero was about to hand a hp potion to Diabel, but he pushed away, "No... I feel as if they don't need me anymore. I've already set the path to clearing this game, and it's up to the rest of you to continue that path. Besides, my life in the real world is already bad enough. This was my chance to feel like a hero. I have nothing to lose in the real world..."

"No, if you die, the morale of our raid party will dwindle greatly. We can't lose you!"

Diabel chuckled as he grabbed Xero's hand, "Listen, you're the only one strong enough to kill this boss. You need to defeat this boss. I want you to bring courage to everyone in the Town of Beginnings and everyone watching the courage to stand up and help us through this endeavor. If you show them and unite them, this game can be conquered. You have to do it... for everyone here..." And with that, Diabel's body exploded into millions of pixels, and all Xero could do, was look on in shock.

Everyone paused as they saw their great leader die in the arms of another player. Asuna and Raven looked on in shock, as a player, no... a student was just killed in front of their very eyes. In the gym, everyone was speechless at what they had just saw. Some people began crying, others began reminiscing what had just happened.

 _"So, that's how this cruel world is going to be... hmph, it's not like I've seen this happen already. This is just another player added to the over 500 deaths, it's just another day. But why does this death feel different?"_ Xero stared at his hand, and proceed to ball it in a fist, _"I know why... it's because Diabel was a special type of player. He was one who didn't fear anything, and that included death itself. He lead this group of blinded players to this boss room, and he passed that duty onto me. I shall fulfill your final wish Diabel..."_

Xero stood up and unsheathed his sword. He turned towards the large group of players fighting off the boss, and dashed towards it. He dashed so fast, that no one saw him. The first blow stumbled the boss, and Xero gave out the order, "Everyone, attack the boss with all your might! Don't let up for an instant!" Everyone nodded, and charged head first at the boss. Asuna and Raven looked at each other and nodded, following the example of their friend.

Everyone attacked the ferocity of a tiger, and the swiftness of an eagle. Once the boss once on its last leg, it charged up its sword, and dashed towards the players. Knowing that the players weren't fast enough to dodge, Xero jumped in front to block.

What Xero didn't expect was that the boss was actually performing a 10-hit combo. Even of he blocked the first hit, he was still brutally attacked by the 2nd and 3rd, followed by an in-air juggle. He was thrown far into Asuna and Raven. His health bar gradually drained to where he was just barely alive.

The boss ran up to them, and begun to attack, but was blocked by one of the players. It was a rather large man with axe, "We'll keep you covered until your health is back up. Girls you keep him safe until he's good enough to fight," They both nodded in response, and the player went to fight the boss.

"You're an idiot Erik. It was obvious it was going to be a multi hit combo. Here heal up," Raven handed him a healing potion, and he took it. His health began to refill, but as he was drinking, he saw the creature had jumped high. It was the same move that had taken out Diabel.

Xero leaped up, and ran towards the boss, "Hey, watch out!" Xero jumped up from the ground, his sword now glowing a blue aura, and he slashed down the boss's abdomen. He landed and yelled back at his party, "Asuna, Raven, come on, one last barrage of attacks!" They both nodded and followed Xero into the fray.

Attack after attack, they penetrated the boss's defenses and was able to stumble the boss. Seeing this as an opportune moment, Xero dashed towards the boss, his sword glowing a new shade of blue, and he pierced the boss's stomach, and slid his sword up, slicing the boss in half. But to ensure a total victory, he proceeded to attack the boss with as many strikes as he can.

Blow after blow, the boss was just a mere pile of guts and pieces of what used to be its weapon. Xero landed on the ground gracefully, only to fall back down on one knee, for he had used to much energy in one go. The large "Congratulations" appeared in front of the players signaling that they had successfully completed the floor, thus bringing them one step closer to completing the game. Everyone in Xero and Raven's school cheered happily, knowing that their friends have now finally completed the first floor.

"Nice work Xero! That was amazing!" Asuna said as she helped him up.

"Yeah, a little reckless again if you ask me...," Raven said jokingly as she punched Xero's arm.

The same large player that saved him earlier approached him as well, "That was some fine swordsmanship young man. I never expected that from a student."

"Student? Aren't you a student as well?"

The player shook his head in response, "No, I'm one of the teachers at my high school. Since I'm a fan of gaming, and more importantly MMOs, I found it cool to try this out. Oh, the name's Agil by the way."

He held out his hand, and Xero shook, "Xero, it's nice to meet. Well, I don't think you should really be thanking just me. All of you did your part as well. Without all of you, we wouldn't have been able to beat the boss today."

"Nonsense, most of our troubles were solved thanks to you. I mean, no one would've taken up the reigns Diabel left, and here you are, leading as if you were a natural born leader. It takes skill to do that."

"N-No, I...," Before he could continue speaking, he saw how all the players in the room starting cheering and chanting his name. Xero was never used to this type of standing ovation, he was somewhat flustered.

All good things had to come to an end when a voice within the crowd yelled out, "Stop cheering!" Everyone paused to look behind them, and they saw an orange haired player sitting, willowing in his hands, "Why'd you do it, huh? Why'd you let Diabel die?"

Xero was confused, he didn't know what the player meant, "L-Let him... die? What the hell are you on about?"

The player jumped up in anger and stormed towards Xero, "You heard me loud and clear you self-righteous bastard!"

"Hey, calm down man," Agil tried to detest the situation, but it continued on.

"You knew what the boss was going to do, but you kept that information from him, just to get the rare item drop!" The man was somewhat right. Though he had no intention of allowing Diabel to perish, he did earn a rare item called: The Coat of Midnight.

It was a coat that increased the wearer's speed by 50 and their evasion by 75. It was a perfect coat for lightweight players, or players who liked the extra speed in their gameplay. He equipped it, and the long black jacket appeared on his body, "Wow, this looks amazing."

"Quit gawking over the jacket! Your just another item hoarder, and bastards like you don't deserve to be among us," The player held out a sword to Xero's throat. Xero only budged slightly at the sudden action, but kept his cool.

Raven and Asuna stood in front of the player to prevent him from doing any more harm, "Hey, all this is uncalled for! He tried to warn Diabel, and even tried to heal him. So maybe you should get you facts straight!"

The orange haired player grew annoyed at Raven's banter, and pointed the sword towards her, "Listen up you bitch, I don't intend on hearing a pathetic player like yourself tell me what to do and what not to do! So get the hell out of my way! I'll kill every single one of you to survive!"

Everyone in their gym grew extremely upset at the young man's insult towards Raven, and this caused Xero to grow extremely angry. Xero proceeded to take the arm of the player, and pinned him on the floor. Everyone was astonished at the speed Xero had done that, "You can insult me all you want, it won't affect one bit..., but if I catch you insult any of my friends, especially them two, I'll see you burn in hell. Do you understand?"

Without waiting for a response, he let go of the player. The player held his arm, and scooted back. Xero looked around the room, and began to speak, "If you really think that hoarding items in this game is a bad thing, then change how you think. In this world, it's all about survival of the fittest. Those who are strong enough to claim these rare items are the ones that took effort to obtain these items. Those of you that hoard them for your own selfish needs are the ones that are the true 'bastards' of this game. In this game, knowledge and skill is everything. Without knowledge, you can't build your underdeveloped skills. Without skills, you won't be able to increase your knowledge of this game. Remember these words, and it will help you survive in this god forsaken game..."

And with that, Xero began to walk off. He yelled back to the speechless players, "I'll activate the warp gate. Tell everyone in the Town of Beginnings that the first floor has been cleared, this will be great news to them!" Asuna and Raven looked at each other, and proceeded to run after Xero.

Once they caught up with him, they called out to him, "Xero!"

He paused slightly, and continued walking, "Hey wait! We need to ask..."

"If I wanted to stick together with the both of you, correct?" Slightly shocked at his guess, they nodded in agreement. With a long pause of silence, he answered, "I'm afraid not. This is the part where the three of us part ways with each other. Although, the two of you may stay together as you like," Looking towards the warp gate, he remembered something, "I was told by an info broker that you can create a guild once you reach floor 3. Perhaps the two of you can create a guild and become the top guild in the game. You're both skilled enough, so why not give it a shot... there's only so much a solo player can do..."

This cause them to ask at the same time, "But... aren't you solo?" Without answering, he opened his menu, and disbanded the party. This may not be the last time they meet, but this will be their only meeting in a long, long time. And so, they parted ways, Xero went to train on his own, and the two girls went onto the other floors with their guild: Flames of the Serene. These three friends would not meet in game until they approached floor 10, where a most interesting quest will join them together for another adventure.


	4. Chapter 4

After a few months since the first floor has been cleared, the players have successfully cleared 9 out of the 100 floors. Asuna and Raven lead the raid of each floor, but the one player that wasn't seen in any of those raids, was Xero. What was also confusing, was that he had also requested to conceal his POV from the gym.

He hasn't streamed either since the first floor. Everyone is wondering as to why he doesn't want anyone to know what he's doing. Rumors spread within Xero and Raven's school, and students started to spread rumors such as: Him murdering players, raping female players, or even disregarding his own words he spoke after the first floor boss fight.

Everyone had tried to speak to him, but to no avail, he didn't reveal the reason for his actions. It was only until this day, that he had messaged both Raven and Asuna for a request, "Asuna, did you get a message from Xero asking for help with a quest?"

"Yeah, it's a little weird don't you think? He hasn't talked to either of us since the first floor, and if I'm correct, he hasn't said anything to you at school either, correct?" With a simple nod, they went to meet him where he told them to meet him in the message

* * *

-In front of the warp gate on Floor 8-

Once they spawned on the eighth floor, they looked around for Xero. They glance around and found him talking to someone with a large cloak surrounding their person. They walked over to him when they saw him. He noticed them walking over to him, and the girls saw his new equipment and more surprisingly, his weapon, "Xero? You look different... when did you...?"

"Hey girls, it's been a while. You two like my new armor?" Xero's new armor consisted a long cloak with a breast plate attached around it. The sleeves of the cloak seemed to have been cut off on the left side, and an arm guard covering his left arm. His lower garb consisted of white slacks and with a special type of boots with silver flames on it. His new weapon was no longer a sword, but a spear. The spear was double bladed and looked serrated. It looked really rare, and looks rarely used.

"Xero, can we continue going over our gameplan here?" The hooded player said as they proceed to tug on his cloak.

"I understand, girls, this is Argo. She's my main intel gatherer, and the most well known info broker in SAO. Argo, this is Raven, my classmate, and Asuna, one of my friends."

Argo stared at the both of them, and sighed, "How many times have you done it with them?" Both Asuna and Raven blushed heavily at Argo's question, and Xero just exhaled deeply.

"What the hell brought up that question?"

"Well... you know these two girls, and it's obvious that they have deep feelings for you, I mean look at how flustered they are!"

He turned towards the two girls, whose faces were redder than tomatoes, "Huh...," Xero turned towards a tavern towards the warp gate, "How about we go to that tavern over their, we can talk about the quest there...," Everyone nodded, and proceeded to head to the tavern. As they were walking he turned around, "Raven, I'm gonna talk to the officials using your POV," Raven nodded, and Xero proceeded to speak, "Alright, can you turn my POV back on. Sorry for not having my POV on for so long. I didn't think what I was doing was really entertaining, so you can go ahead and turn it back on. This quest is going to be... something..."

In the gym, the screen was adjusted so that they could watch his perspective. Everyone looked at his level, and Raven's level. The last time they compared the two's levels were when Xero was level 16 and Raven was level 13. Now the gap was bigger..., and by bigger, it was way bigger. Raven's level was peaking 25, but Xero was now... level 37. To be level 37 when you're only on the 10th floor was something you wouldn't see normally. This "Special Training" must've been brutal for him to reach that level.

* * *

-Inside the tavern-

"Argo, shall I explain the quest? You can take off where you left off once I reach that point."

Argo nodded, and Xero began explaining the quest, "Well, this quest is more of a... how do you say, um, 'friendship' quest?"

Both Asuna and Raven raised an eyebrow at his quotations, "Why the quotations?"

Xero was about to explain, but Argo interrupted him, "It's a special quest given to males with more than 2 female friends..."

Both girls felt the blood rush to their cheeks as they Argo explain, "Yeah, I didn't think they would have this, but they do. I was surprised too, and since the three of you are my closest female friends in this game, I figured it would be my best bet."

"Wait, you have more female friends?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" Asuna and Raven, even Argo got angry at what Xero said, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing!"

Xero sighed in confusion as he continued explaining, "Yeah, it's a compatibility test to see if a male player is going to have a decent marriage once the marriage update is applied. I don't know why Argo is forcing me to do this, but she did tell me that once we complete it, we would get a good chunk of col."

Asuna and Raven looked at each other, and nodded, "We'll do it, and I'll be the one to be the most compatible with you!" Raven said as she banged her fist on the table.

"Now hold on a second there Raven. Who said you were going to be the most compatible with him? If you ask me, I would be that likely heroine!" Asuna said in retort.

"Why would you be the most compatible with him? Unlike you, I actually go to school with him, so I could actually have a chance having a 'real' relationship with him, so ha!"

The spark of a love rivalry was eminent indeed, and even the dense Xero could see it, "Wow... I didn't think I was this popular..."

Argo sighed as she stood beside Xero, "They seem to have forgotten me...," Xero chuckled and rubbed her head, which caused both Asuna and Raven to eye him.

"Don't worry, it's all good. Either way, I got their attention doing that," They looked down upon Argo, who was now backed into a corner.

"Oh, and what about you Argo? How long have you known Xero?"

"I've known him since he was in middle school!" Both girls paused in shock, and Xero continued from what she said.

"Yeah, we used to be best friends in middle school before she moved away. I found out it was her a few months back, and she's been really helpful since the three of us split paths. Either way, we're all friends here, and this quest isn't going to tear us apart, correct?" Reluctantly, all the girls nodded, but the spark between the three grew stronger.

Xero stared in confusion, but shrugged it off either way, "Well, Argo, where do we go to start this quest?"

Argo pulled up her menu, and scrolled through it, "We are supposed to head to the Widower's Garden, and an NPC is supposed to meet us to show our quest briefing."

"Wait, wasn't it already given to you two?" Asuna asked in confusion.

"No, this quest was given to me yesterday, and Argo and I have been dissecting the quest. So, this is all that we could see into it."

"I see, well, shall we get a move on?"

Raven said as she stood up to stretch, "Sure thing, but let's go over our equipment first. We don't know what to expect from this quest, so it's best if we stock up on healing items, and check up on weapons," Everyone nodded as they prepared themselves for... a weird quest. Either way, these three girls are going to see if they are compatible with Xero, and they hope that they are...


	5. Chapter 5

Once the group were on the way to the Widower's Garden, Asuna decided to talk to Xero about his relationship with Argo and Raven, "So, I know you and Raven go to the same school, but what grades are you two in?"

"I'm currently a senior, and she's a sophmore. I do believe you're a senior as well Argo, right?" Argo nodded in response, and Asuna smiled, "I see, so you're a senior like myself. That's good..."

Raven jumped slightly at that statement, "What's that supposed to mean?" Asuna smirked and said, "Well, I'm a senior as well. I'm graduating this year, and if Xero goes to the college I want to go to, then I think I have a chance at being his," The spark between the three increased.

Xero kept walking, ignoring the girls' little scuffle, "The more you girls argue, the less time we'll have to complete this quest," All the girls jumped, and proceeded to follow Xero.

* * *

-Widower's Garden-

The group approached a gorgeous garden that was colorful, and vivid. Everyone was anxious for what the quest holds, and Xero was on guard just in case anything jumped out at them. Once they approached the center of the garden. In the middle of the garden, a pedestal was erected from the ground, and on top of the pedestal, a large gemstone appeared on top of it. A menu appeared in front of Xero, and the menu said:

 _Welcome to the Widower's Garden. You are about to begin a long, difficult journey. Would you like to accept? -Yes- No_

Xero accepted the quest, and as he did so, he was lifted into the air, and a dark aura surrounded him. An explosion of depression, and despair surrounded them, and Xero was back on the ground. Feeling no different, a little menu in front of him appeared, "What does it say Xero?"

Xero read it over, and his eyes widened, "It says that I have the Widower's Curse! I have within 24 hours to complete this quest, or I'll... die!"

All the girls' eyes widened as well, "Wait, if you don't complete this quest in the next 24 hours, you'll die?!"

"Yes, it says that the Widower is the only one that relieve me of this curse. Argo, what kind of quest is this?!"

"I-I don't know, like I said, I've never seen this quest before," Xero began to put the pieces together, and came to a conclusion, "That's because no one has completed this quest before. People have died trying to complete this challenge, and it gets around to people who not just multiple female friends, but multiple friends outside the game, regardless of gender."

"That's impossible, there's no possible way that they can know your personal information. That's just impossible..."

Xero sighed as he saw the doors of the house in front of the garden open, "No use debunking it. We don't have time to lose, because if what the message says is true, then we need to quickly complete this quest...," Everyone nodded and followed Xero inside the house.

* * *

-Inside the main entrance-

Everyone was on high alert, and ready to attack at the sound of any type of danger. As they approached the main staircase, a large hooded creature that resembled "Death" appeared at the top of the stairs. Everyone equipped their weapons and began to get ready for a fight. Unbeknownst to them, the creature didn't fight them, he snapped his fingers, and they were teleported to a large room.

A voice began to speak as they opened around for the one behind the voice, "I see you have accepted my quest, so let us begin the challenge. If you complete my quest, I will then know if you are indeed a valiant warrior, and if you are a worthy husband," All the girls jumped at the reference of Xero being a suitable husband for them.

Raven stepped forward, and demanded, "Bring on the first challenge! I'm ready for this!" For 5 seconds, nothing happened, until the room began to be filled with multiple mobs. Everyone began to charge into the group of mobs, "Don't get to reckless everyone!"

"Yeah!" Asuna and Raven fought together, and they were killing the mobs with grace and elligance. Argo was off killing mobs quickly, using her speed to her advantage. One by one, the mobs were dropping like flies.

Once the girls finished off their half of the mobs, they turned to Xero, who was easily killing off the mobs. Asuna and Raven have never seen him fight with a spear, and from what it looks like, he knows how to handle one. With a bunch a flashy moves, Xero destroyed the mobs in multiples of 3, and he wasn't holding back at all. With one last move, Xero had his spear glow as he jumped in the air. He threw his spear towards the ground, and one the spear came in contact with the ground, a huge shockwave emanated from the ground. Smoke filled the room from the shockwave, and once it cleared, all the mobs were gone, and Xero was stretching himself out.

"That was too easy. I thought this was supposed to be a challenge."

The girls stared in amazement as the voice to speak again, "I see you've completed the warm up round, now it's time for the real challenge," After the voice said that, a door opened on the side of the room, "Through this door, a series of bosses will be in you way, and you must defeat every boss. Afterwards, you may come to my room for the antidote to the curse. It should be easy knowing how strong all of you are. Good luck,"

Everyone except Xero stood still, "Well, no time to lose. If I want that cure, I need to get to the Widower's room as fast as I can. So let's get going," Xero started sprinting away from the room, towards the first boss. He didn't want to waste time, as he knew he needed to complete this quest quickly.

Once they approached the first boss, they were feeling weakened the closer they were coming to the boss. Once they got to the boss, they felt as if all their energy was drained, all but Xero was drained of energy. He felt no change in his energy, and if anything, he felt as if he had all the energy in the world. He looked at the girls, who were supporting themselves on their knee.

"What's wrong? Did you girls use too much stamina on the previous room?"

"No, we just felt weaker, the closer we got to the room... we don't know what the hell is going on..."

The voice began to speak, "You now notice that the ones in your party are weaker now. Well, that's because all these boss rooms will have some type of change to it. This one will have you protect your friends in their current state, all while trying to defeat the boss at the same time. Good luck..."

Xero chuckled ever so lightly, much to the girls' discomfort, "What's funny Xero? This is no laughing matter!"

"Oh nothing, this Widower probably thought this was a challenge. Oh well, I'll see you girls after this, I'm not level 37 for nothing!" Xero charged towards the boss, and his spear began to glow again. Xero began to twist his body, and he began spinning at tremendous speeds. All the girls stared in amazement at the speed he was spinning. A large blue and navy aura surrounded Xero as he continued to pick up speed. Once he came in contact with the boss, he pierced through the boss with tenacity.

The boss exploded into millions of pixels, and the girls slowly felt their energy come back to them. Once their energy was fully restored, they ran up to Xero, all with the same question, "Xero, where did you learn all these sword skills?

"Well, I had a really strict training regimen. I gained most of my sword skills not through level up, but through training. Either way, let's get to work on finishing this quest. This quest is just getting started," He started walking off, and left the girls staring in awe.

* * *

-Final Stage-

After fighting a total of 6 bosses, the whole crew were burnt out, "Man, that 4th boss was the worst, I like speed, and to be slower than turtle with it's legs up its ass is horrible for me," Xero had one of the worst experiences in this quest, "Xero, I hope you know that you didn't have to fight in most of those battles."

"I know, but you know how much I enjoy fighting. Also, I needed to break in my new spear..."

After everyone drunk a stamina potion, they were ready for whatever the Widower had next for them. And as they were preparing themselves, the voice started talking again, "I see that all of you have made it through all of my challenges. I see, you are ready for my cure, but first, let's go for one last test. Oh, Reaper," As she said that, the same hooded mob from earlier appeared, "If you defeat Reaper, then you may enter my room for the cure."

The Reaper's stats appeared, and everyone, including Xero were taken back from the stats, "5 health bars!" "Not only that, but his attack power is strong enough to one-hit us!" The creature dashed towards them, and slashed in front of them. Xero jumped into the creature, resulting them going into a fierce deadlock. Xero yelled back at the group, "Fight conservatively, no use blindly attacking when one hit could end us! Play smart!" Everyone nodded as they went to help Xero.

Xero jumped back, as he swept his spear underneath the Reaper, and the Reaper jumped, "Raven, now!" Raven jumped up and her sword, glowed red and she stabbed the Reaper. Once she pierced the Reaper's abdomen, a fire erupted from the ground, engulfing the Reaper in a blaze, "Alright, Argo, paralyze it!" Argo had her arm glow yellow as she tapped the Reaper. The Reaper then became frozen, with bolts of electricity shooting through it, "Alright, Asuna, let's go!"

Asuna nodded, and they started to charge the Boss, "Asuna, we hit that mini boss like we did on Floor 2, alright!"

"Yeah!" They proceed to do a barrage of attacks, attacking the monster as it was frozen. As they were doing that, Raven thought back to what Xero had said, _"Wait, I thought Xero left us alone after Floor 1. Did they do a quest without me knowing?"_

"Asuna, leave the last hit to me!" Asuna nodded as she jumped back. Xero ran up attacking the boss with twirls, and special attacks with his spear until he jumped up in the air. His spear began to glow green and sky blue, and he began to spin his spear with one hand. He spun it so fast that a tornado began to appear. The tornado swallowed up the Reaper, and it exploded from the force of the tornado. Xero landed back, the pixels from the boss surrounding him. The view of Xero looked amazing, he looked like an angel who had just landed from the land above.

He turned around to meet the faces of the girls, "Well, we completed the last step, so how about we go get that antidote?"

All the girls nodded their heads as the voice began to speak once again, "Ah, yes, finally that Reaper was finally destroyed! Please, enter my room," A door on the far side of the room they were stuck in opened, and a bright light shined from it. They all nodded at each other, and began sprinting towards. Once they approached the door, they saw that they ended up back outside.

Xero, clearly frustrated yelled, "Don't tell me that we have to do those damn challenges again!"

A light, delicate voice spoke behind them, "No, do not worry. Your job is done, thank you young warriors," A young lady, with short blue hair began to walk towards Xero.

"Finally, so where's that cu-," Before he could finish his sentence, the lady kissed him on the lips.

Asuna, Raven, Argo and many others watching them in the gym began blushing madly. Xero's eyes were widened at what had just happened. Their lips parted, and all Xero could do was ask, "W-What... W-what...?"

"That was the cure. A kiss from me relieved you of your curse, and now, darling, I shall be by your side until death does us apart," All the girls then started blushing madly, and they ran to Xero.

"Xero!"

"Wait, I don't know what's going..., what's your name?"

"You see, my name is Yulia. I was a widower trapped in this house by that damn Reaper. I sent out fake quests so that I can be free. The reward to the hero brave enough to accept and save me, would become my new husband."

"W-Wait, what if you sent it to a girl," Yulia chuckled and answered, "No, I used the Cardinal System to see who was a male, and who wasn't. Don't worry, I specifically chose you, Xero, or better known as: Erik."

Everyone froze in shock that this... "NPC" knew Xero's real name, "Wait... are you even an NPC?"

Yulia nodded, "Yes, I'm a special type of NPC though. I'm one that will follow you wherever you go, unless you forbid from going. I will act the same a real player would, but I'm still an NPC. And I'm, your wife. Xero, please take care me..."

With all this happening, Xero decided to use a new skill he learned while training, "Well, I think it's the best time to use this...," Xero slowly felt his world get blurry, and he felt nauseous. After about 5 seconds, Xero fainted on the ground.

"Darling!"

"Xero!"

"Erik!"

 _"I'm so glad I learned this skill. Maybe when I wake up, everything will go back to normal... I know it's, but it's good to hope."_


	6. Chapter 6

After a day of reminiscing what had just happened, the group met up again on a tavern on floor 9, "Why are we on floor 9 this time?"

"I don't know, but don't try to change the subject. I need to know why an NPC would want to feel the need to classify a player as their husband/wife. I've never seen that before in an MMO. It's just weird..."

Yulia nodded, and began to speak, "You see, the creator of this game, Akihiko Kayaba, planned this quest to be accepted by the most valiant player in the game. Which is why Argo hasn't really known much about this quest, and I sent a lie inside the initial quest message. I knew that if I had a high reward for the completion of this quest, Xero would accept it. He has a knack for high paying quests."

"I see, but that doesn't explain why an NPC would be given such human-like features. It's weird."

Xero stepped in to explain, "I think I can answer that one. Don't you remember what Kayaba said before he left this game? He said he wanted to create a world of his own design, one that supersedes our current world. So, he had plan to create many human-like NPCs, and Yulia is only the first of possibly many in SAO, right?"

Yulia nodded, "Precisely, Kayaba had planned this from the start. To be honest, I'm completely fine with being Xero's wife until the completion of this game."

Everyone paused, including Xero. Asuna spoke up about something all the girls, and Xero's friends feared, "What if he was to die in this game?" This caused Yulia to stiffen up as well.

Even if she was an NPC, high class or not, she would know that Xero was human, and that if he had died in this game, she would become a widow again, "I... wouldn't want that to happen. Which is why he is a high level. Being level 37 when you're only at floor 10 isn't normal."

After hearing his level, all the girls jumped up in shock, "Level 37?!"

"Yeah, I told you girls that my training regimen was strict. I think I stayed even after school to level up. I think I reached the max amount of Exp to earn from these mobs. So I have no other choice than to participate in raids now. I hope this makes the Assault Team happy," He spoke as if he had done this before, "Have you done this in other games?"

Xero nodded gleefully, "Of course, I always do that on any game, regardless of genre."

Argo then sighed in frustration, "I had forgot that you had done that in games. Even when it was a game you good at, you would work on your technique the whole game. For what reason, I don't know. But I can see why you would do that in this game, but I believe over training isn't good. What if you run into something that I don't know about. It's too dangerous to do your type of training."

Chuckling ever so lightly, he stood up and walked towards the bar, "Listen, I've done too many crazy things now to loosen up. Either way, it's not me to loosen up when I'm at the top of my gam."

"We understand that, but I remember someone telling Asuna and I that there's only so much a solo player can do. Need I remind you of that?"

Xero's chuckle turned into a nervous chuckle, "I see now, I'm sorry for worrying all of you..."

All the girls sighed as they stood up, "Well, we'll be going back to tending our guild for the next raid. Just so you know, our next raid is in a few days. We'll message you the day before the raid just so you can prepare for it," Xero nodded as they walked out of the tavern.

"Well, I have to get some more information on the quests on this floor. There's still quite a bit that I haven't done yet."

And now Argo was off on her own, leaving Xero and his new NPC wife. After not knowing what else to do, he stood up and turned to Yulia, "So, what do you want to do? I've had a girlfriend before, but I've never had a wife before. Mostly because I've never really been married. I think you should take lead in this 'relationship' Yulia."

Yulia let out a soft chuckle, "Well, you see, my husband and I weren't officially married yet before he passed... soooooo."

Xero raised an eyebrow at this, "Wait, what do you mean by that?"

Yulia chuckled nervously and began explaining, "Well, my husband was just my fiance at the time of his death. So it technical terms, I haven't married yet..."

Even more confused, he asked her, "I know your not supposed to ask a lady this, but what age did Kayaba give you?"

"He made me 18 years old."

A little shocked, he chuckled, "I see, so you're the same age as me. I guess that makes it a little better. So I guess we can just go out and have a date I guess... oh man, it feels weird saying that to NPC."

Chuckling lightly, Yulia grabbed the arm of Xero, "Well, how about we go take a nice little stroll in the town. I'm pretty sure that you need an upgrade on armor."

"But I received this armor on the 5th floor."

"Yes, and now we're on the 9th floor now. I'm pretty sure you need some new armor. Follow me, I do believe there is an armor shop that sells armor sets to your liking," Pulling Xero out of the tavern, she has a huge smile on her face. In the distance, three young ladies were watching the newly 'married couple' on their date.

Those three young ladies were Asuna, Raven and Argo. They were watching how the two would act during their little "date" and followed them everywhere. The first place they went to was of course an armor shop, "Look, there's plenty of armor sets that are to your liking. You like speed right?" Xero nodded, "Well, you can go look for speed-type armor in this store. I hope you find something you like darling."

Xero went to walk around the store, and set his eyes on something that caught his attention, "Whoa, this looks amazing," He was standing in front a set of armor that was decked out in special designs. Although it was full iron armor, the description for this set of armor said that, "Armor didn't need to be heavy to provide protection". As he stared at it, his wife walked up to him, "Ah, the Armor of the Reborn Phoenix. This is a special type of armor that levels up as you level up. The appearance changes as each stage of the Phoenix is completed. Once it is max level, you will become invincible in this game. Although, can you afford it? Its price is... pretty high."

Looking at the price, he remained calm, and purchased the armor set, "It was a few hundred thousand. I've farmed a lot, so I have quite a bit of money," Xero opened his menu to equip his armor. Once he equipped his armor, a red and white set of armor appeared on his body. Yulia and the girls watched from a far to see his new armor. The armor made him look like a valiant knight. Seeing as how he looks so much different, all the girls are basically ogling him now.

He looked behind him to Yulia slightly blushing, "Wow, I didn't know he programmed you to blush."

Yulia sighed as she took his arm, "Oh whatever, I'm just slightly flustered because of your new armor. I feel as if we should change your hairstyle. I think you should go with a ponytail or just long hair in general."

"Really? You can change your appearance mid-game? I didn't know you could do that."

Pulling him out of the store, "Of course, in the most recent update of the game, they allowed you to change your appearance once you reach the 5th floor. C'mon, let's go and change how you look."

The girls watch from a distance, and they are dreading how they are acting in public, "Do they have to look so lovey-dovey out in public like that?" All the girls pout as they continue to follow the wedded couple.

* * *

-5th floor-

After they had approached the 5th floor, the girls saw Xero and Yulia walk out of a small house. Once they saw how Xero, they were basically head over heels for him. He now had a long ponytail, with bangs on the front parted to the left it seemed. His facial features hadn't changed, so the only major change was his hair. Watching in astonishment, they didn't realize the two walking towards them.

"Were the three of you spying on us?" None of them could really answer due to the three of them stuttering. Xero just sighed as he looked at his wife, who was chuckling at the girls' antics, "Well, we were about to go have some dinner. Maybe you girls would like to join us?" They all jumped up, and nodded fiercely, "I told you they would want to join us Yulia. So, how about we head to our old shack everyone?"

Hearing a light chuckled from Asuna, she scratched the back of her head, "Well, I actually sold our shack earlier this month. I needed a little extra money to upgrade my equipment. Sorry, but where are we going to eat?"

"I know where we can go," Everyone turned to Raven, who had a large smile on her face, "Tonight, our guild is having a large feast. It was to commemorate the completion of the 9th floor. Remember Asuna, our guild always have a great feast after each floor completion, but our head chef sort of... died? So we don't have any one to cook, so how about you come and cook for the guild Xero?"

"Can I get paid?"

Sighing in frustration, Raven nodded, "Yeah, you can get paid. Geez, you're such a greedy boy. C'mon everyone, let's get going," Everyone nodded as they teleported to the 4th floor.

 _"So, I have to cook for easily over hundreds players... I've only cooked for myself, and at that one time when I was with Asuna and Raven. Well, I have to prepare my best dish ever in this game!"_


End file.
